Laurel Shields, thirty-five and mother of two, awakens to find that her husband, Warren, a prominent local physician, is not in bed with her. Creeping out to the kitchen of their palatial home, she sees him through the doorway of his study, wildly pulling books from the shelves. Two weeks earlier, Warren and his partner were informed by the IRS that their medical practice was being audited; since then the stress on Dr. Shields has steadily ratcheted up.

But Laurel has problems of her own. Quickly returning to the bedroom, she locks herself in the master bath, opens a home pregnancy testing kit, and fearfully tests herself. PREGNANT, announces the digital readout. Laurel closes her eyes as though absorbing news of a death, then quickly hides the evidence. She is not sure who the father is. Summoning all her strength, she walks into the kitchen to carry out the acting performance of her life.

Later that morning, Laurel returns home and is surprised to find her husband’s car still parked in the driveway. The house has a strange stillness to it. In the den, she finds Warren sitting on the sofa in the same clothes he wore the previous day. His face is pale and unshaven, his eyes hollow with fear. Then, in come the children, innocent of it all....

So begins the most terrifying day in the history of a marriage, one that in less than five hours will make the Shields house the vortex of a nerve-wracking siege. While a nervous ring of armed men awaits its chance to storm the suburban home, inside the house the clock ticks down on exposure of Laurel’s terrible secret. But she is not alone in her lies. Before the siege is through, this terrifying drama will pull in desperate characters from the town and drive Dr. Shields, his wife, and her lover to the very brink of sanity and survival.

Listener Opinions

" I liked the premise of the story but the writing was not to my liking. I flipped through this book just to get the gist of what was going on and to find out how it ended. "

Keri | 2/13/2014

" Definitely not Iles's best work. I got interested in the fraud sub-plot (since I work Medicaid fraud investigations), and that's probably why I kept interested (kept hoping they'd revisit that issue). Otherwise I basically knew how the book would end about half-way through. The book takes place over 24 hours or so, which to me just made it seem even more drawn out. By the end, I was ready for it to just be over, already! "

Robin Holloway | 1/24/2014

" Psychological thriller is not my usual genre so I was surprized how much I liked this book. "

Dani Zinser-Arnone | 1/20/2014

" first book I read by this author....really enjoyed it "

Raina | 1/17/2014

" Very good! Greg Iles rarely disappoints me!! "

Rosemary Roscoe | 1/14/2014

" Everything I read by Greg Iles I have enjoyed. Hopefully that remains true with Third Degree "

Kim | 12/25/2013

" This book really hooks you from the start. It keeps you interested throughout. I liked the ending "

Shari Rosso | 12/18/2013

" It was a decent book, but like another review said, a bit over the top. Iles is a good author... this a little far fetched. "

Stephanie | 11/23/2013

" Interesting premise and voice, a bit difficult to read due to marriage infidelity issues. Compelling and suspenseful. I both read and listened to on cd, great reader and easy to read! "

KristenR | 11/19/2013

" There was a big chunk in the middle of this book that just really dragged. "

Christine | 11/18/2013

" Entertaining but not great. A good plane read. "

Jon | 11/18/2013

" Not one of my favorite Iles' novels but worth reading if you happen to come across it. "

Davin | 11/8/2013

" A good book. I only gave it four stars because I did not like the ending. It will keep you turning the pages. If you like any other Greg Iles' books you will like this one. He has better books but this one is worthy of being read also. "

Alicia | 10/12/2013

" Easy to read. Kept me coming back to see what would happen. I did not get as involved with the characters as I normally do. "

Paul | 4/30/2013

" Mr Iles has written much better in other books. I did not like the characters, and the plot was not interesting. "

Beth A | 1/2/2013

" Well......the first Iles novel I have not been completely enamored with. What an odd premiss for a hostage situation, although I could see this happening (I guess). "

Esther Marie | 12/31/2012

" Fast paced, lean and a page turner. It is not the sort of book I would normally read, but I picked it up from a bookshelf at the beach, and it was the perfect beach read. "

Karen | 12/8/2012

" I enjoy Greg Iles, his books are always different. This one I think is a bit more explicit sexually but it's a great story. "

Laura Leigh | 6/14/2012

" If you're looking for a page turner where the characters aren't completely plastic, this is for you. "

Diana | 3/8/2012

" Bought this book Thurs. Finished it Sat. morning ... "I" was not able to put it down. "

Amy Brewer | 12/16/2011

" I know I enjoyed it, because I found myself eager to get back to my book as the work day waned...but, it wasn't as satisfying as the other Greg Iles books that I've read. "

MiamiDawn | 9/15/2011

" page turner. highly suspenseful. a departure from his normal style of story but great just the same. "

Pat | 6/27/2011

" This is the second book I have read in the past week about a doctor and his unfaithful wife. Do you think there is something going on? "

Tracy Higgins | 6/19/2011

" I cant even describe how good this book is...well all of Greg Iles books are fabulous...this one, just like the others kept me on the edge of my seat....I stayed up all night to finish it in one sitting! "

Jake | 5/6/2011

" Audio Book. The story started extremely slow and boring. It was more interesting in the end but, I still don't like it when they make the hero and adulterer in the worst way.
"

Michelle | 4/3/2011

" the plot in this good was good (and predictable), but the only thing that drove me crazy about listening to this audio book was that the whole 5-disk book was only a time span of a few hours. Great lead man!
"

Anjie | 4/1/2011

" I really had a hard time getting into this book, and finishing it. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't what expected from Iles either.
"

Rob | 3/31/2011

" Fun read. Implausible in many parts. Gripping, though, making you want to finish. To enjoy, set aside your skepticism radar and just get caught up in the intensity of this thriller.
"

Joanne | 3/18/2011

" I must admit that I enjoyed this book even though the characters were not all that likable. This story covers it all: dishonest business practices, adultery, lying, incompetent police officers, mental breakdowns, etc. - and all in less than a day! Whew!!
"

Steve | 3/13/2011

" More of a psychological thriller. This book was intense and hard to put down.
"

Janet | 3/4/2011

" OMG!!! Finally found this book on CD. I have wanted to read this book for a while. Wow it was crazy insane. I was sitting on the edge the whole time.
"

Brenda | 2/15/2011

" Couldn't put it down! Twisted plot where the straight arrow main man flips outs when he finds out about his wife's infidelity. But as the plot unravels there are other things happening in his life that take him to the edge. Very tense and the ending was a welcomed surprise outcome!
"

Other Titles by Greg Iles:

About the Author

Greg Iles was born in Germany, where his father ran the US Embassy Medical Clinic during the height of the Cold War. He was raised in Natchez, Mississippi, and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1983. Iles worked for several years as guitarist and vocalist for the band Frankly Scarlet, but after getting married in 1989, decided that a more stable lifestyle was in order.

About the Narrator

David Colacci is an actor and director who has directed and performed in prominent theaters nationwide. His credits include roles from Shakespeare to Albee, as well as extensive work on new plays. As a narrator, he has recorded more than one hundred audiobooks, earned eight AudioFile Earphones Awards, and been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award. His narration of The Suspect was named one of AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2007.

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